News
from the fight to #SaveIndiePharmacy
New York Times’ The Middlemen series
Minnesota legislation targets health insurers’ power to block medical care, medications
House bill would prevent redundant insurance red-tape for treatment of chronic diseases. The fate of prior authorization will be decided in the session’s final days.
It’s time for the Legislature to take steps to protect pharmacy care
An opinion piece by SPCD owner and pharmacist, John Hoeschen.
How We Voted in 2016 Contributed to UnitedHealth's Acquisition of Change Healthcare
Also: Patient information may be even more at risk than we've been told.
The Hidden Cost of Underwater Reimbursements
Are below cost reimbursement practices by Pharmacy Benefit Managers creating opportunity for criminals to enter the legitimate supply chain?
Under threat from industry ‘middlemen,’ independent pharmacies gain allies in D.C., Frankfort
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear joined a White House roundtable discussion on prescription drug costs that also featured entrepreneur Mark Cuban and several community pharmacists from around the country.
Zoomer Hackers Shut Down the Biggest Extortion Ring of All
A ransomware gang cripples UnitedHealthcare. Could a comprehensive antitrust investigation finish the job?
A Bipartisan Coalition of 39 State Attorneys General Urge Congressional Action on Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform
The bipartisan group of signatories included Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
With Iowa losing pharmacies, lawmakers advance new rules
Bill establishes stronger requirements for pharmacy benefit managers
Why Drugs Are Disappearing From Your Insurance Coverage
Powerful companies are removing hundreds of medicines from insurance plans — and they’re spending millions to stop attempts at reform.
The U.S. pharmacy industry is crumbling. Here’s how to fix it.
An opinion piece by Robert Gebelhoff.
CVS hellth: Corporate consolidation is ruining pharmacies and hurting patients
An opinion piece by pharmacist and independent pharmacy advocate Luke Slindee.
‘It’s beyond unethical’: Opaque conflicts of interest permeate prescription drug benefits
A STAT News Investigation
Commerce fines CVS Caremark $500,000 after 2022 case alleging violations of Pharmacy Benefit Manager Act
The Minnesota Department of Commerce announced it has levied a $500,000 penalty against the pharmacy benefit manager CVS Caremark after alleging that Caremark violated state law prohibiting a practice known as ‘patient steering.’
HMO profits from Minnesota state programs jump to $675.8M with enrollment surge
Enrollees used less care than expected, and a state program to cap profits was no longer in place, leading to an increase of about 181% in operating income.
NY Governor Hochul Launches New Statewide Medicaid Pharmacy Benefit Program
Long-Awaited Transition to NYRx Provides Eight Million Members Expanded Access to Prescription Medications at More Than 5,000 Pharmacies Statewide
How pharmacy deserts are formed
PBMs play a big role in the formation of a pharmacy desert.
Ozempic shortages? Some pharmacists are choosing not to stock the drug at all
Some independent pharmacies are losing money on the pricey — and popular — drug.
Drugmakers including Purdue Pharma paid pharmacy benefit managers not to restrict painkiller prescriptions, a New York Times investigation found.